


Sunrise Glow

by LilacNoctua



Series: Worthwhile [4]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Fluff, Getting Together, Love Confessions, M/M, Romance, background kakagai, good friends give questionable advice, nosy ninjas
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-11
Updated: 2020-07-11
Packaged: 2021-03-05 01:21:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,427
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25206139
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LilacNoctua/pseuds/LilacNoctua
Summary: Lee flew out the door without another word and sprang onto the rooftops, leaping from one to the next until he could see his own building. A light was on in his apartment. Now that the moment was finally here, it seemed impossibly surreal.He sprang through his window and landed lightly on the kitchen table. Gaara was reading on the couch, his legs crossed neatly, the gourd leaning against the arm of the sofa. He looked up at the sound of Lee’s arrival and smiled slightly. Lee’s heart stuttered to a stop and then started up again at double its former pace.Update:Art link added.Lee has a confession to make. Of course, everyone else has something to say about it.
Relationships: Gaara/Rock Lee
Series: Worthwhile [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1729480
Comments: 20
Kudos: 145





	Sunrise Glow

**Author's Note:**

> This is a sequel to [_The Letter_](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24950908/chapters/60394087/) and makes some reference to events from that story and earlier in the series, but it will make sense as a standalone story as well.

Of all the times to be sent out of the village on a mission, this was easily the worst. Gaara would have arrived in the village yesterday and would be leaving early in the morning. Team Gai had been sent out to a nearby town to apprehend an arsonist who had been evading the regular sheriff by means of a rare jutsu. An easy mission, but at such an inconvenient time. Undoubtedly, this was Tsunade’s final reprisal for Lee’s unauthorized desertion two weeks ago. Not one to back down from a challenge or accept defeat, Lee had pushed his team to wrap up the mission as quickly as possible, and was now insisting that they run through the night in order to get home before morning.

He had something he needed to say.

Lee suspected he would pay dearly for this later. There was a murderous gleam in Tenten’s eye as she sprinted along in his wake, panting and swearing. She had suffered for the sake of this thing between him and Gaara once already and Lee knew that was about the extent of Tenten’s patience. 

He would make it up to her later, he decided. This was too important. He had spent the last week practicing and rehearsing, trying to get the words just right. Gai-sensei, ever dependable, had helped him work through what he should say and how to say it. He had even acted as a stand-in for Gaara so Lee could rehearse. Kakashi-sensei had also “helped” by lounging on Gai-sensei’s sofa, laughing, and occasionally forcing Lee to read dramatic declarations of love that featured in his favourite novels.

“No, Kakashi! He can’t use some cheesy line from a book,” Gai had protested. “It has to come from the heart!”

“Oh, is that so?” Kakashi had challenged. “Then why is the scene on page 207 of chapter nine of this novel so  _ familiar _ ?”

“Familiar?” Gai had seemed confused. Kakashi had tossed him the book and waited while he flipped to the correct page. Gai’s full eyebrows had climbed higher and higher on his forehead as he read.

“How could Jiraiya possibly have known about this?” Gai had yelped.

“You mean you didn’t get the idea from the book?” Kakashi had asked skeptically.

“This book was published after. . .” Gai had flipped to the date in the front of the book.

“Hmm, you’re right. Well, we are going to be having some words with him,” Kakashi had growled.

“Let me see,” Lee had said, reaching for the book. Kakashi had snatched it out of his hand and hidden it so fast that Lee barely saw him move.

“You definitely cannot have this conversation with Gaara like  _ that. _ ” Kakashi had sounded somewhat scandalized. 

“Yes, that reminds me,” Gai had announced. “It’s time we had another little talk with you.”

Remembering that talk still caused Lee to turn bright red and want to hide under the floor.

They arrived in the village with an hour to spare before sunrise, and Lee took off at once for the guest house where visiting dignitaries always stayed.

He skidded to a halt in the lobby, realizing that he didn’t know which room he was even looking for. Out of breath and flustered, he cast around for his options.

“Lee? What’re you doing here?” A sleepy voice asked from behind him. He whipped around to find a pajama clad Kankuro shuffling out of the dining room, drinking coffee directly from the pot. “Did you just get back from your mission? You look like you’ve been running.”

“Yes,” Lee gasped. “Is Gaara awake? I came to talk to him.”

“I dunno, he said he was going to your place to wait for you.” Kankuro shrugged and rubbed his eyes.

Lee flew out the door without another word and sprang onto the rooftops, leaping from one to the next until he could see his own building. A light was on in his apartment. Now that the moment was finally here, it seemed impossibly surreal.

He sprang through his window and landed lightly on the kitchen table. Gaara was reading on the couch, his legs crossed neatly, the gourd leaning against the arm of the sofa. He looked up at the sound of Lee’s arrival and smiled slightly. Lee’s heart stuttered to a stop and then started up again at double its former pace.

“You’ve got a lot of nerve,” Gaara said softly. “First you leave Suna without saying goodbye, and then you go out on a mission when you know I’ll be here and don’t come back until nearly dawn. I’ll have to leave soon, you know.”

“I am sorry,” Lee began, and then stopped short at the sight of Gaara’s small smile. As usual, he realized too late that Gaara had been making a joke.

“Was your mission okay? Are you tired?” Gaara asked, standing up and putting his book aside.

“Yes. No.” Lee managed to say. He hopped off the table and took a step toward Gaara then caught sight of the book cover. “I did not know you liked to read those.”

Gaara laughed. “I don’t usually. Naruto’s sensei loaned it to me. To pass the time, he said. I think somehow he knew I would wait here for you.”

“He would,” Lee said breathlessly. “He and Gai-sensei are Eternal Rivals.”

Gaara inclined his head and smiled wryly. “Well please return it to him for me, with my thanks. I don’t think I’ll be seeing him again before I leave.”

Lee nodded, struggling to draw air into his lungs, shifting his weight from one foot to the other and back again.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Gaara asked, drawing closer and reaching for Lee’s forehead. “You’re all flushed and breathing hard. You must have overdone it with your mission."

Lee caught his hand before it could make contact with his face and held it tightly with both of his own.

“I am okay, really,” he said desperately. “I am just. . .”

“What?” Gaara asked, frowning in concern.

“Gaara, I am in love with you,” Lee blurted out. 

He squeezed his eyes shut and tried to remember how to breathe. A part of him had been convinced that he would choke, that in the moment he would not be able to find the courage to say these words that would change everything. He had felt that once they were said, there was no going back, no pretending that they were just close friends, no more hiding behind the fact that the thing between them was new and nebulous and unspoken. But those words were the truth, and Lee wanted nothing more than for Gaara to know it. So he had practiced and agonized over just the right way to tell him. And now the words had just fallen out of his mouth, not at all how he had planned.

When he opened his eyes again, Gaara was standing perfectly still, staring at him. His mouth had fallen slightly open and his hand had gone limp in Lee’s grip. He continued to stare at Lee for long, agonizing moments until finally Lee dropped his hand and turned his face away.

“You do not have to -” he started to say.

“Iloveyoutoo,” Gaara whispered, all in a rush, catching Lee’s hand again. He took a deep, shaky breath before adding apologetically. “Only, it’s hard for me to say out loud, still.”

“I know,” Lee said softly. “I did not want to rush you, but I needed you to know.”

“Thank you,” Gaara whispered. 

Lee beamed at him and was rewarded with one of Gaara’s rare genuine smiles in return. 

“This is real,” Lee said, elated. “I am not dreaming.”

“Yes,” Gaara said, and sounded as surprised as Lee felt. “What do we do now?”

“I do not know. I had not thought this far ahead.” Lee admitted. He laughed and suddenly he was wrapped in Gaara’s arms and Gaara was pressing his face into Lee’s shoulder.

“I really do love you,” Gaara mumbled against Lee’s chest so that Lee felt the words against his pounding heart more than he heard them.

“Love you,” Lee echoed giddily, cradling the back of Gaara’s head against his shoulder as he held him close. 

The sun climbed over the horizon, and up over the high wall that surrounded the village, to slant through the windows of Lee’s apartment, but still neither of them moved. 

There was a knock at the door, and Kankuro’s voice called out but neither of them would let go of the other.

“Dammit, Gaara!” Kankuro shouted. “Don’t make me come in there!”

“He is going to wake my neighbours,” Lee murmured contentedly against the top of Gaara’s head.

“He’s going to break down your door,” Gaara sighed, rubbing his cheek against the collar of Lee’s vest.

“Rock. Lee.” Temari’s voice joined Kankuro’s outside the door.

“Now you’re in trouble,” Gaara laughed faintly. “I should go.” He still did not move.

“Do you have to?” Lee asked, squeezing him just a little tighter.

“Yes. I don’t want the Hokage to be upset with you again because of me,” Gaara sighed. “Walk with me to the gate?”

“Of course,” Lee agreed. Reluctantly they let go of each other and crossed to the door. Gaara paused by the sofa to quickly fasten the gourd to his back.

“Calm down, I’m here.” Gaara said, throwing the door open. Kankuro, who had been leaning on the door as he pounded on it with his fist, just narrowly avoided falling flat on his face.

“Why didn’t you open the door?” Temari demanded, glaring at Lee.

“I was busy,” Gaara said flatly. He took Lee by the hand and marched past his siblings into the hall.

“We are not bringing him with us,” Temari protested.

“No,” Gaara agreed. “He stops at the gate.”

Lee wanted to dance, to literally jump for joy. Instead, he held Gaara’s hand in his, and forced himself to match Gaara’s measured pace all the way to the gate.

“I will see you again soon, right?” He asked, as they made their way through the early morning bustle of the village, ignoring the stares and whispers of passing shinobi.

“Of course. We’re stopping here again on our way back from the Land of Water,” Gaara told him. 

“That will probably be a month from now,” Kankuro piped up.

“I am looking forward to it already!” Lee announced, earning another radiant smile from Gaara.

The rest of the Suna party was waiting for them at the gate, busily securing the last of their luggage.

“Lord Kazekage,” one ninja addressed Gaara. “Your litter is prepared. We must be off.” He gestured at the curtained palanquin resting on the ground nearby. 

Lee pulled Gaara into one last hug, heedless of everyone watching. “I am going to miss you,” he whispered.

“Love you,” Gaara whispered back.

“Love you, too.” Feeling particularly courageous, Lee brushed a soft kiss against the  _ Love  _ mark on Gaara’s forehead. Gaara closed his eyes and leaned into his chest.

Lee offered his hand to help Gaara step up into the palanquin, and took one last long look at him before drawing the curtains. He stood waving as the procession walked through the gates and away down the road. He could see Gaara’s third eye floating above them, looking back at him.

When the travelers were out of sight, Lee turned and started back towards his apartment, smiling so widely that it hurt. He felt as though his body weighed nothing, as though his leg weights had been replaced with helium balloons. The sun seemed brighter, the bird songs more melodious, the faces of passing strangers more cheerful. He decided to take a shortcut home through a back alley, humming cheerfully to himself.

As he passed the back of the Yamanaka Flower Shop, a hand shot out and clamped over his mouth while several more grabbed at his arms and legs. Lee kicked out in the direction of his attacker.

“Gentle Fist!” Tiny fingers hit Lee hard at several points across his limbs in rapid succession and his arms and legs fell still, suddenly too heavy to move.

“Geez Hinata, don’t you think that’s overdoing it?” That was Ino’s voice. These were his friends. Lee relaxed instantly. The many pairs of hands dragged him through a narrow doorway and deposited him on the floor of the backroom of the flower shop. The scents of soil, plant cuttings and floral perfume hung heavy in air coloured gold by the morning sunlight streaming through the glass panels of the roof. 

“I’m sorry for hitting you,” Hinata squeaked. “I was just worried you might hurt one of us by mistake.”

“That is okay,” Lee reassured her. “Only, why have you kidnapped me?”

“For the details, Lee. We need details!” Ino informed him, waving her arms excitedly

“You came home from our mission and went running off right away,” Tenten said.

“So Gai-sensei told us where you were going,” Neji explained.

“Then a little bird told us that Kankuro and Temari had to drag the Kazekage out of your apartment this morning,” Sai chimed in, brandishing an inky brush.

“And then we spotted you walking down the street holding a certain someone’s hand all the way to the gate,” Sakura went on.

“And then said what looked like a very tender goodbye,” Hinata added, sighing dreamily.

“And now we find you practically skipping down the street, like a goddamn idiot,” Ino finished. “So, tell us everything.”

“Okay!” Lee said enthusiastically. “I told Gaara that I am in love with him!”

“You did WHAT??” His friends shouted.

“I thought you said Gai-sensei told you?” 

“He said you had a ‘romantic, youthful tryst.’” Tenten cried. “He didn’t say anything about  _ that. _ ”

“I had no idea things were so serious between you two,” Sakura gasped.

“Serious?” Lee asked.

“Go on, tell us more,” Sai prodded, pulling out a notebook.

“He said he loves me too,” Lee admitted, blushing happily at the memory.

“Oh, this is so sweet,” Hinata breathed.

“And then what?” Ino encouraged.

“And then I hugged him, for a very long time,” Lee sighed.

“Is that a euphemism?” Sai asked, pen poised over paper.

“No.” Lee said. “I just held him. And he held me, and I never wanted to let go except Temari and Kankuro showed up.”

“So that’s what you were doing when you wouldn’t open the door?” Ino shrieked. “Just hugging?”

“Yes. It is like I said. We did not want to let go.”

“Are you absolutely sure that hugging is not a euphemism?” Sai asked again, scribbling contemplatively.

“Yes, I am certain.” Lee insisted.

“Okay, let’s all back up a minute,” Sakura said. “We knew there was something going on between you two, but we didn’t know it was this serious already. Tell us everything.”

“What would you like me to tell you?” Lee asked.

“Tell us about your first date!” Ino cried. “What was it like? Where did you go? Who asked who out? What happened?”

“Oh, was it that night you two took off while we were all dancing?” Sai asked.

“No, that wasn’t it,” Tenten said, frowning like she was deep in thought. Lee shook his head.

“Was it when you went on that mission as his bodyguard and that rogue ninja tried to kill you?” Hinata gasped. 

“No, that was not a date!” Lee laughed. “It was a mission.”

“I bet it was when you ran away with him a few weeks ago,” Ino chimed in before he could say anything else. “That was scandalous.”

“That was not a date. He was having an emotional crisis.”

“So it was earlier than all of that?” Sakura asked incredulously. “Why didn’t you tell us?”

“What I am trying to tell you, is that Gaara and I have never been on a date,” Lee finally managed to say.

“WHAT??” The group shouted again.

“It makes sense.” Neji came to Lee’s defense. “Gaara is the Kazekage and Lee is a foreign ninja. You cannot expect them to date conventionally. It’s all so complicated.”

“True,” Sakura conceded.

“Well, tell us about your first kiss then,” Ino prompted. The rest of the group made noises of encouragement and agreement.

“Well,” Lee told them happily. “Just now, as we were saying goodbye . . .”

“Yes?” Sai demanded.

“As we were saying goodbye, I kissed him on the forehead,” Lee recalled dreamily. “Right where it says  _ Love. _ ”

“Okay, that’s adorable, but not quite what we’re looking for,” Tenten said.

“But Tenten, that is the only time I have ever kissed Gaara.”

“I’m sorry, what?” Sakura seemed confused.

“You mean to tell me,” Ino practically shouted. “That you’ve just declared your love to this man and you’ve never so much as been on a date with him or kissed him?” Her voice rose in pitch and volume as she reached the end of the sentence, until it was practically a screech.

“Well, yes.”

“Why?” Neji asked.

“Because that is how I feel.” It seemed obvious to Lee.

“But how do you  _ know _ ?” Sai demanded.

“Know what?”.

“That you love him,” Hinata explained.

“I just do,” Lee told them. “It is difficult to explain. But I have felt this way for a long time, and did not know what it meant. Then, when I was in Suna, I woke up in the morning and suddenly I just knew.”

“So, something  _ did _ happen in Suna?” Neji prompted.

“Yes, I have told you all about it already.” Lee reminded him.

“But that just sounded really sad and exhausting,” Tenten objected. “How could you know from that?”

“I just. . . anytime he goes through something like that, I want to be there with him. I just always want to be with him,” Lee tried to explain. “Then I came home and I went to Gai-sensei and I asked him how to tell someone that you love him, and he and Kakashi-sensei made me really think about what I was feeling.”

“What on earth do they know about falling in love?” Ino crowed. “Gai-sensei probably said a lot of stuff about hot blooded youth, and Kakashi just reads those terrible books all the time.”

“That reminds me, Tenten,” Lee said. “I now know some things about Gai-sensei and Kakashi-sensei that I think will interest you.”

Sakura gasped. “Did you finally catch them?”

“Well, I have definitely learned some things about their rivalry, if that is what you mean. I will tell you all about it later,”

“Okay, forget about the weird old men,” Ino said, slapping the palm of one hand against the concrete floor. “Let’s get back to you and Gaara.”

“Yeah,” Sakura agreed. “This is a problem, Lee.”

“How?” Lee asked, nonplussed.

“Oh no, she’s right!” Tenten gasped. “You can’t just jump from  _ maybe there’s something there  _ directly to  _ in love _ . You have to woo him a bit first. Courtship is important. If you skip that things could get very messy quickly.”

“Courtship?” Lee repeated, beginning to panic.

“She’s right,” Neji spoke up. “You need to be very clear about your intentions.”

“Not only that,” Sai chimed in. “I’ve read a number of books on the subject, and he’s done things in entirely the wrong order!”

Sakura patted his knee. “It’s not that we aren’t happy for you, Lee. But there are certain things you need to do at the beginning of a new relationship in order to build a solid foundation for it.”

“We can still fix it,” Hinata assured him. “Just ask him out next time he’s here.”

“How do I do that?” Lee asked. 

“Well normally,” Sai said. “My understanding is that you would approach a person you liked and ask to make plans with them for a meal, or other activity. Since Gaara is not here, and will not arrive until the day you would like to go out with him, I think the logical step is to send a bird with a note. Here, I’ll draw one!” He held up his brush and a scroll.

“What do I write?” Lee asked.

“Not this again!” Sakura groaned.

The whole group began offering suggestions at once. Finally Lee dictated to Sai:

_ Dear Gaara, _

_ It was wonderful to see you, if only for a short time. I would be deeply honoured if you would join me for dinner the next time you are in Konoha. _

_ Love, _

_ Lee _

“Perfect,” Ino said happily, as the inky bird flew out the door. “Short, to the point, impossible to misinterpret.”

“Now then.” Neji stood and clapped his hands together. “We’ve got work to do.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Please feel free to stop by and visit me on [Tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/lilac-writes/) if you'd like to.
> 
> Also, check out this [fantastic artwork](https://flightlessdevotee.tumblr.com/post/625938360125603840/again-trying-to-draw-lilac-writes-wonderful-fic/) that @flightlessdevotee made, based on the confession scene from this fic!


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